


Laughter Lines

by corgasbord



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, just straight up diabetes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 20:16:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12373236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corgasbord/pseuds/corgasbord
Summary: Kaito brings Shuuichi back to the place where they first went stargazing together.





	Laughter Lines

**Author's Note:**

> i got an anon request on tumblr to write a scenario where kaito proposes to shuuichi, and i'm really weak for stuff like this so i decided to fill it!
> 
> (here's the [original ask](http://corgiboard.tumblr.com/post/166434721915/nyhaha-how-about-as-a-saimota-prompt-kaito)!)

Shuuichi rocks idly in place, shifting to get comfortable in the rubbery seat of the swing. His toes graze the worn grass beneath it and his fingers curl loosely around the rusted chains suspending him. He thinks he’s probably too old to be using a swingset made for people half his age, or perhaps simply too big, but after moving his weight from side to side enough he finds a position where the edge of it doesn’t dig into his flesh.

Once settled, he looks over at Kaito, who’s perched in the swing next to his. Kaito doesn’t return his stare. He has it trained on the dark sky instead, drawing invisible lines between the stars even though he doesn’t seem to have anything to say about them tonight. 

Shuuichi observes him for a few moments, as he’s prone to do more often than actually stargazing. The light of the full moon glints off of Kaito’s hair like a halo and makes his eyes glow brighter than the stars themselves, and it’s enough to temporarily distract Shuuichi and make him forget the statement primed on the tip of his tongue. He has to shake himself out of his trance in order to remember it again.

With a quizzical tilt of his head, he clears his throat and finally speaks up. “It’s been a while since we were last here.”

Only then does Kaito’s gaze break from his starry canvas, turning to focus on Shuuichi instead. “Yeah, I know,” he says. “Shame, isn’t it? It’s a pretty nice place. They keep it in good shape and everything.”

“But there’s a reason you brought me here, isn’t there?” he prods. Shuuichi is no fool. He could see Kaito’s subtle fidgeting when he’d told Shuuichi that he wanted to bring him to the park at midnight, and hear the way Kaito’s words tumbled out of him louder and faster than usual. They hadn’t visited this place regularly since high school, so being invited here out of the blue had left Shuuichi understandably suspicious.

“I… yeah, you got me,” Kaito admits. He grips the chains framing him on his right side, his free hand aimlessly slipping into his jacket pocket. “Remember the first time we came here and watched the stars together?”

Shuuichi raises an eyebrow. “You mean the time that you dragged me all the way out here at one in the morning and made me do push-ups to make sure that I wasn’t slacking off?”

“No- I mean, I guess that counts, technically, but that wasn’t what I was talking about,” Kaito says, the fabric around his hand bunching as he balls and unballs his fist. “I mean the first time that we came here just to stargaze. We sat on these swings and talked, like, all night.”

“Oh.” Shuuichi nods. “Yeah, I remember that.” He remembers it fondly, in fact. Kaito had told him extraterrestrial facts and extravagant fibs in equal measure until the grey of dawn began to bleed over the horizon. Then he’d propelled himself as high as he could into the air and leapt from the swing, only to trip upon landing and wind up with a face full of grass. The memory is enough to bring a smile to Shuuichi’s lips as he continues, “Why do you ask?”

“‘Cause, well… I mean, that feels like ages ago, right? Like, four years,” Kaito says. “That’s about four years since I realized that I liked you. In a, y’know, wanting to date you kinda way.”

“Right… and?” Shuuichi asks, finding Kaito’s train of thought even more difficult to follow than usual.

“And that’s a long time, isn’t it?” Kaito’s not looking at him anymore, eyes trained on his stupid galaxy-print slippers instead. “But… at the same time, I can’t help but feel like it’s not enough. Like, in the grand scheme of things, four years or so is basically nothing. I could spend four more years with you, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”

Kaito’s knuckles have gone almost white by now. The hand in his pocket continues to clench around something, and the gears in Shuuichi’s head turn, slowed by the lateness of the hour.

Kaito gets to his feet after a brief silence, and it clicks.

“Kaito…” he murmurs, eyes round with disbelief as Kaito steps in front of him. He follows the movement of the hand in Kaito’s pocket as it withdraws a small, square black box. Shuuichi’s breath hitches.

“So, what I'm getting at is…” Kaito drops to one knee before him on the slightly uneven ground. “I wanna spend the rest of my life with you. You're the best friend and partner a guy could ask for- the moon to my sun, the Venus to my Mars. You mean the whole universe to me, Shuuichi. I love you.” He cups the box in one palm and holds it out to Shuuichi, using the other to pull back the lid to reveal a sliver of silver. The smile on his face is a tad more nervous than the one he usually wears, but hopeful nonetheless as he asks, “Will you marry me?”

Shuuichi utters Kaito’s name again, face warming at the subtle crack of emotion in his voice. Then he lifts himself off of the swing a bit too quickly, causing the toe of his sneaker to catch on a bump in the ground. He topples forward with a startled squeak, and Kaito blurts out a “Whoa!” as his arms spread to let Shuuichi fall into him. Shuuichi winds up with his head on Kaito's shoulder and his hands clutching frantically at Kaito's shirt for purchase and his knees aching from the impact.

It takes him a few seconds to reorient himself and catch his breath. “Shit, dude, you okay?” Kaito asks, drawing his face back enough to get a proper look at Shuuichi.

In spite of himself, Shuuichi begins to laugh. His legs hurt and his shoulders shake but he can’t stop the flow of palpable joy that pours from his mouth.

Kaito starts looking rather pink. “Wha- what are you laughing like that for?”

Shuuichi’s laughing because this situation is ridiculous. He’s laughing at Kaito for being so absurdly cheesy. He’s laughing at himself for not having predicted this outcome sooner, and for tripping into Kaito’s arms like a fool.

Once he’s composed himself, he answers genuinely, lifting his head with a smile that makes his cheeks burn. “It’s because I’m happy.”

Kaito blinks. “So does that mean-”

“Yes,” Shuuichi says, nodding. “Yes, absolutely. I would love to.”

Kaito’s features split into an ear-to-ear grin, and he starts to laugh too, almost as if he can’t believe it. He brings their lips together clumsily, ineffectively now that they’re both giggling like fools, but Shuuichi does his best to return the kiss anyway until they’re too breathless to continue.

Kaito slides the band onto Shuuichi’s finger, then brings his pale knuckles up to press his lips to them in an uncharacteristically tender fashion. It’s an unspoken promise, now material and undeniable, and it makes Shuuichi’s heart do a giddy little jump in his chest.

For a while they remain there, slumped against each other in the grass, cheeks touching and fingers entwined. They don’t say anything more. They don’t have to.


End file.
